Lead Cook

Summary of the Role

The Lead Cook plays a vital role in the production and safe food handling and sanitation of our kitchen. This position ensures that all guests receive a delicious, healthy, well-balanced meal in a clean, orderly, welcoming environment. This role shares responsibility to maintain food safety and sanitation practices aligned with Michigan Food Code and will model and enforce these practices in our kitchen at all times. This role is a full member of MTM ministry and serves to demonstrate the compassion of Jesus during all aspects of work, to guests and co-workers alike.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Mel Trotter Ministries Staff Attributes

We expect all staff to project and exemplify a passion for a faith-based approach to advocacy for the guests, to be humble, supportive team players, who acknowledge their gifts and those of others, are truthfully transparent, seek input from others, admit and learn from mistakes, are highly coachable and approachable. We expect a hungry, innovative, goal-oriented, eager contributor, who shows a dedicated work ethic. We expect our staff to exhibit empathy, compassion, active listening, to be self-aware, sensitive across racial, class, and cultural lines, ethics, and approachability. We look for work habits of punctuality, dependability, accountability, responsibility, cooperation, team participation, integrity, problem-solving, and overall positivity.

These attributes, combined with the performance of one's duties and achievement of goals will be equated with the quality of one's overall job performance. Please refer to them often and feel free to ask for feedback on these areas regularly.

Job Plan

• Leads shift and assists in preparing food while always maintaining the highest quality and standards
• Supports team by demonstrating the highest standards of culinary excellence, accountability, respect, integrity and compassion
• Assists the Kitchen Supervisor and Culinary Director in leading a team of cooks and utility team members during assigned shift
• Ability to communicate with diverse groups
• Lead guests that are staying at the mission who are gaining job skills by working in the kitchen as well as guest volunteers from the community
• Practices correct food handling and food storage procedures
• Works all kitchen stations, including dish, prep, cooking, assembling, and packaging as needed
• Delivers portions that are correct and meets all weight and presentation expectations.
• Works safely around kitchen equipment and reports any maintenance issues to supervisor or manager
• Demonstrates knowledge of the brand and menu items
• Protects customer experience by ensuring and quality is top level
• Ensures personal appearance is in compliance with MTM standards
• Tracks waste and stores food according to procedures
• Maintains cleanliness and food safety standards
• Communicates well with the team members
• Exhibits and encourages positive team behavior and work ethic

Qualifications

• 2 years' experience in professional kitchen preferred
• Working knowledge of food safety and sanitation practices
• Takes direction and coaching with humility
• Offers positive reinforcement to others readily

Working Conditions

• Regular standing, walking, climbing, crouching, bending, pushing, or pulling
• Understand, speak, read, and write fluent English
• Ability to communicate verbally and to accurately hear, with hearing correction
• Ability to see 20/20, with vision correction
• Able to lift up to 35 pounds regularly, up to 50 pounds occasionally
• Able to use fine motor hand functions